Typically, integrally foamed articles having smooth, mold-imprinted surfaces are used in trim components for interior designs, e.g. in cars or airplanes. Due to their free-flowing characteristics, different blends filled with talcum have been used in such applications hitherto. The potential of talcum-reinforced blends is limited for integral foam-molding of rigid finished articles, such as car dashboards, due to their inherent low flexural stiffness. Further, the relative volumetric increase during foaming is limited. Nonetheless talcum blends, due to their excellent free-flowing properties, have allowed achieving a very uniform, homogenous foam structure and foam cell separation pattern, without inner delamination of the foam or widespread cell disrupture taking place.
It would be desirable to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and to devise a new composite material improving volumetric gain in integral foaming of molded articles whilst retaining the advantages of the prior art blends used in foaming, notably their excellent free-flowing properties and uniform cell forming characteristics.